


A Brother, A Friend

by navaan



Category: Versailles no Bara | Rose of Versailles
Genre: Ficlet, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-07
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 08:03:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/235911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few scenes from Oscar's childhood up until meeting André</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Brother, A Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Phoebe_Zeitgeist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Zeitgeist/gifts).



Six year old Oscar watches her sister Hortense all dressed up for a ball. Her mother is laughing and smiling and telling the maids how to put up the hair of her beautiful daughter. Oscar isn’t sure what all the fuss is about, but her sister has a certain glow about her today.

The younger sisters are smiling and laughing, too.

To Oscar all this seems strange and far away. After all she has never worn a dress like that and it doesn’t look all that comfortable either. She prefers her own clothes by far. They let her move and run and jump and ride without hindering or constricting her.

But her sister looks beautiful. Nearly as beautiful as their mother. She sneaks a glance at her lady mother to find her looking right at her, with a sad thoughtful smile on her lips. “Oscar, come here. I’ll brush your hair,” she says.

“No thank you, mama.” Oscar turns and runs down the stairs. Nothing is going to keep her in today. Not even her beloved mother.

***

Sometimes her father takes the time to teach her personally and she loves it. She feels he’s proud at every achievement, even if he is often much more demanding than her teachers. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about all the amazing things she learns.

Oscar loves her sisters, but they learn how to paint and embroider cushions and don’t know anything about fencing.

Eugénie is the only sister who takes in interest in her skills. She is by far the wildest of her sisters and spends a lot of her time riding through the fields and they often ride together. But she is a few years older and Oscar knows she’ll soon leave the house to marry, too, like Hortense just did. It makes her feel lonely. “I don’t want you to leave. Living here will be so dull when you’re gone!”

Eugénie laughs. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to be entertained, you little rascal.”

“I wish I had a brother to play with,” Oscar confesses in whisper.

“Silly. If we had a brother, you’d not be able to play with him like that either. You’d be dressed in nice silk dresses and learn how to be a lady at court.”

Oscar thinks that this doesn’t sound like fun at all. She’d rather be a soldier like their father. Maybe it’s better not to have a brother after all.

***

A few days later her father calls her down to the entrance hall. Granny has been gone for a while and Oscar knows that she is expected back today. She loves spending time with the old servant in the kitchens and she has honestly missed her.

When she jumps down the stairs she can see that it really is granny. But there is someone else, too.

“Oscar,” her father says in a somewhat grave tone. “This is André. He’ll live with his grandmother from now on. I’ve decided that he’ll also join your lessons. With all this women folk in our house it will do you some good to have a friend to compete with.”

Granny doesn’t look happy and the boy seems even more nervous.

Oscar shrugs, as if it’s all the same to her.

In truth she already makes plans to show André her horse, and the swords her father had given her for her birthday.

If she can’t have a brother of her own, she’ll make the best of having a friend.


End file.
